Michael Ceptowski, aka Mathias Zopf, (February 21, 1765 – May 24, 1829), was a Bavarian born artist who settled and worked in Poland.

Early life

Ceptowski was born in

Raisting Raisting is a municipality in the Weilheim-Schongau district, in Bavaria, Germany. Sport The towns association football club SV Raisting, formed in 1924, experienced its greatest success in 2013 when it won promotion to the southern division of ...

, Bavaria. He was the son of Johann Michael Zopf and Mary Probst. Probably about 1775 he came with his father to Poland and settled in Poznań. He was educated by his father, who was a stucco artist.

Works

From 1790 until 1795 Ceptowski was performing stucco sculpture work at the Pawłowice Palace. For the palace in Mchy, Lublin Voivodeship he made stucco motifs and allegorical reliefs. They are signed with the initials MC and bear the dates 1792 and 1799.

Personal life

In 1791 he married a Polish woman, Sophie Męczyńską. In 1796 he changed his name to Michael Ceptowski. In 1805 he settled on a farm and purchased a mill in Marynopolu near Poznan. With his first wife he had sons of Adam, Charles, Anthony and Maximilian. In 1817 he married Balbina Lewandowska, with whom he had sons, Constantine, Joseph and Francis.

References

* Greater biographical dictionary, Warsaw-Poznan 1981, . Polish sculptors Polish male sculptors Architects from Poznań 1765 births 1829 deaths People from Weilheim-Schongau {{Poland-sculptor-stub